In the U.S., the latest mass shootings all have something in common: the AR-15

February 15, 2018 2:48 AM

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As of this week, seven of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history have all happened since 2007. In the latest incidents — Newtown, Conn., in 2012; San Bernardino, Calif., in 2015; Orlando, Fla., in 2016; Las Vegas, 2017; Sutherland Springs, Texas, 2017 — the attackers primarily used AR-15 semiautomatic rifles.

When a gunman attacked a high school in Parkland, Fla., on Wednesday, killing 17 people, the event marked a depressingly familiar milestone.

As of this week, seven of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern U.S. history have all happened since 2007. The Parkland massacre is now the eight-deadliest attack.

The nation’s mass-shooting problem seems to be getting worse. And the latest, most serious shootings all seem to have one new thing in common: the AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle.

The AR-15 that typically has large magazines, shoots rounds at higher velocities than handguns, and leaves more complex wounds in victims.

In each one of the older shootings on the 10-deadliest list — including the 2007 attack on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., that left 32 victims dead — the shooters carried handguns. (The exception is the 1984 San Ysidro, Calif., massacre, where the gunman also used a shotgun and an Uzi semiautomatic carbine.)